The next morning at daybreak, Halit and Surite left Nakevis behind. Halit’s heart was heavy as he had never left his family and feared the danger ahead. His pack was also heavy, loaded with water, which would be hard to come by in the barren lands of Sothru.
Surite proved a friendly sort, prone to banter, but was reticent to offer advisement regarding their pilgrimage. He simply relayed that they were headed to the top of Mirror Mountain to appease the beast of a thousand years. When Halit asked how, Surite would only say, “The reply will come after the wish. I can say no more at this time for I am restrained by the prophecy.” This answer did not ease Halit’s troubled mind.
Days and nights wore on uneventfully and they felt confident that they were past the territories of the warring tribes. They brought along weapons, though they burned their arrows on a night of extreme cold to keep warm. This turned out to be a mistake as the light of the fire reached an outpost of the Suphgisjo Tribe.
The attack came in the middle of the night. It was fierce and swift. The captors determined Halit was no threat. He was a weakling and not sharp of mind. They were sure he would succumb to the wastelands and were inclined to allow him to slowly suffer than offer a quick death. However, the powers of the windmaker would be exploited. They bound Surite and released Halit. Surite gave Halit a reassuring glance as the band moved away. Halit shouted a promise, “I will make it to Mirror Mountain and claim my wish on the summit!”
The captors replied with sneers and laughter as one shouted back, “Only a goose believes a wish.”

Halit dragged himself for days until he could barely go on. Delirium began to take hold as he had visions of his family, of dear Eba, and his failures. He let them down. He knew he would. He always saw it in the depths of father’s blue eyes. The icy look of disapproval. He was never good at anything, especially at feats that would make his father proud. He just studied the ancient markings of runestones. A useless pursuit and dying skill that benefits no one.
Though his delusions he recalled meeting Simit, a sand golem who carried him to a small pond that provided him with life-sustaining water. With renewed vigor, he had a tussle with a small goblinoid and trapped the wily being and threatened to cook him. The goblinoid offered him a Transportation Token to spare his life. This magical token would allow Halit to instantly return to Nakevis. Halit denied the token for it was pointless to return, but spared the goblinoid, who secretly slipped the token in his pack as gratitude.
More days passed and his hopes of ever reaching Mirror Mountain were diminishing. A tempest blew in and Halit took shelter under a nearby cliff. He was certain he was nearing the end of his life when the most glorious light appeared before him. He had to shield his eyes and clear his ears as he heard a loud rumbling voice emanate from the light. “Halit, I am the Guardian of the Cliff of Truth!”
Halit incredulously responded, “What do you say? Where are you?” Halit jumped back and tripped over a small rockslide that revealed a bright blue sapphire, the source of the brilliance.
“It is true that you are the strongest to appease the beast!” the sapphire declared.
Halit cried out, “What bewitchment allows a sapphire to speak? I do not have this strength, only weakness.”
The sapphire replied, “It is true that you are full of doubt!”
Halit called out with fury, “What provokes you to speak this way?”
In a flash, the light disappeared, but the voice lingered to speak once more, “It is true that your insecurities are your possibilities.”
Halit sputtered, but there was nothing more. Surely, he had gone mad, he thought, for the sapphire was replaced with rock. As Halit lay there contemplating, unsettled yet invigorated by the energy, his thoughts began to clarify as he absorbed the judgement. He concluded that he needed to accept who he is. He realized that he had made it this far, against the odds. If he had brawn or intellect, he would have likely been killed by the Suphgisjoan. Yet, here he was. He placed his hand in his pocket and felt the forgotten talisman, his lucky runestone. His thoughts came back to his family. He was to assume leadership of the clan. He had to succeed, to protect Eba from the beast, to protect his people. He would follow his father, but make his own path.

The violent storm had passed and Halit left the shelter of the cliff with an intense determination. The clouds cleared and revealed a magnificent mountain, its slopes not 2,000 paces away. There was no doubt that this was Mirror Mountain. It was an awesome sight to behold, its exposed minerals dazzled and its majesty mesmerized the soul. Halit took a deep breath and began his ascent to the top of the mountain. As he made the grueling climb, the truth of the mountain defied its appearance. There were skeletal remains, every vestige of flesh picked clean from the bones. He was repulsed by the horror of gruesome bodies, in various states of decay, many clutching empty chests of what might have been. Onward he pushed, despite wanting to flee. A shroud of murkiness prevailed and on what seemed the third day, he reached the stark, rocky apex. He could not contain his relief and impulsively yelled his wish, “I wish to appease the beast!”
Nothing happened, no reply came. He recalled that Surite had told him a reply would come.
Halit took a step forward, raised his hands and with more force, shouted again, “I WISH TO APPEASE THE BEAST OF A THOUSAND YEARS!”
Halit was once again met with silence. He was not certain what to expect, but he imagined it would be more than silence.
Frustration began to grow. Halit began yelling all kinds of wishes in a panic, hoping one of them was the one, the one wish to calm the beast.

Dusk began to fall, the cold was settling in, and he did not know if he could survive another night on the mountain. He slumped on a rock and held tight to his talisman, hoping to find fortitude. He glanced down and noticed he was surrounded by runestone. All around him were fragments adorned with carvings. His heart raced as he realized that he knew this ancient language. He quickly got up and started clearing away debris that obscured some of the markings. Some were crushed, nothing more than shards. He recognized the runes, “Stone…Strength…Heaven…Wind…Ritual…’ Although he knew what the symbols meant he did not know what to do. Under his breath, he wished that Surite was here to guide him.
At that moment, a strong wind blew his way. He huddled his body and tightened the clasp on his traveler’s cloak. Surite materialized before his eyes. He spoke to Halit, “I am the reply.”
Halit was overwhelmed with emotion as he cried, “Surite, how did you escape? I am afraid I do not know the wish to appease the beast.”
 “In your whisper, you used your one and only wish which freed me from the savages, Halit, and I am forever thankful.” He moved closer to Halit, “One does not simply wish to appease the beast, the primordial Sanrriuifi. Even the grand Mirror Mountain has its limits. It cannot grant wishes that control beings greater than itself. You arrived at the top of Mirror Mountain to interpret the ancient Manertasjal runes that only exist here. To sate the beast, trust yourself and believe in your knowledge of the runes, they will lead the way. This is your prophecy, this is your strength, Halit Manermün, steward of the earth.” A wind rushed up and the anemancer was gone.
Halit looked over the runestone in the last glimmer of twilight and knew what he must do. He sifted through the fragments and chose a piece. He stepped back over to the peak. He closed his eyes and raised the stone of Heaven to the sky. He paused and with his other hand, carefully pulled the talisman from his pocket and raised the stone of Earth. He proclaimed, “I call upon on the forces of Heaven and Earth to appease the beast of a thousand years!” He performed the sacred ritual. Only the virtuous heir of Clan Manermün, versed in the language of yore possessed the strength to placate the beast. A dramatic catharsis lifted the shadow over the land. The sun broke through the gloaming and night became day.  
Halit was elated but exhausted. He sobbed as he purified his spirit. He knew the return journey to Nakevis would be treacherous. To help fortify his endurance, he reached into his pack to consume the last of his rations, a dried peach, before he began the descent. At the bottom of his pack he noticed a shiny object, a token just like the one the goblinoid showed him. He closed his eyes, raised the token to the sky and spoke.